The proposal comes on the heels of recently enacted federal tax reform that sought to cut taxes for the majority of Americans and spur economic growth, but was also projected to grow the national deficit.

The state House Judiciary and Transportation committees held a joint hearing in Pittsburgh Friday morning on various pieces of legislation by area lawmakers that would put an end to driver's license suspensions for individuals with non-driving convictions.

House Bill 42, sponsored by Rep. Rick Saccone (Jefferson Hills), was the main topic of consideration, as it would remove a license suspension for convictions such as theft, purchase of tobacco or alcohol by a minor, or carrying a false identification card.

Two Philadelphia-specific taxes got the legislative spotlight Tuesday as the Senate Local Government Committee held a hearing on the city’s beverage tax and the House Finance Committee held a hearing examining legislation to alter the city’s wage tax.

Things didn’t quite go as expected Tuesday for the House Republican Caucus who, as late as Monday afternoon, was eyeing a vote on some version of a plan to balance the state budget by transferring special fund money into the General Fund as an attempt to close the state’s $2.2 billion deficit.

By Tuesday afternoon, the House adjourned without taking up the plan and legislative leaders met with the House Taxpayer Caucus—the main proponents of the special funds plan— and some Southeastern lawmakers to try to rework their strategy in order to gain enough votes to get some budget-balancing plan to the Senate by week’s end.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Frankel (D-Squirrel Hill), along with House colleagues and faith leaders held a news conference Monday morning in Pittsburgh to discuss the aftermath of the events in Charlottesville, Virginia and to call for legislative action on House Bill 505 and/or Senate Bill 96, also known as the Fairness Act.

“No group was left untouched in Charlottesville,” said Frankel. “It was racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim, it was anti-LGBT, anti- anything you can think of was found in that demonstration. While we saw a comprehensive expression of hate, we want a comprehensive reaction to it. And one of the ways to do that is to finally address hate crimes in Pennsylvania in a comprehensive way.”